By Kumar Balani
(First of Two Parts)
NEW YORK, NY – While numerous industry associations periodically put out data on what types of jobs grew the most in their sectors and how much their average pay is, the United States government itself provides highly useful information on jobs and job growth that is not only broader – like a bird’s eye view – but also deeper, with much more detail.
Visitors and landed immigrants from various regions and countries around the world come here daily into the United States, the so-called ‘land of opportunity’ to seek a better life for themselves and their families, by competing for jobs or opening businesses of their own.
Fast-Growth Jobs If You’re Qualified
As we indicated here in our Oct 14, 2018 column, of the 3.251 million granted US permanent residence (green cards) in the years 2014, 2015, and 2016, the two largest sources were the Americas and Asia, accounting for 80 percent of all lawful immigrants from around the globe. From the Americas there were 1.342 million people, or 41 percent of the total, and from Asia there were 1.273 million people or 39 percent of the total.
But the backgrounds and qualifications of people from different countries in these two regions vary greatly. For example, it is likely that most of the 463,060 Mexicans granted green cards (about 35 percent of the 1.342 million from the Americas) have no college degree, experience, or skills developed in any profession.
The Asian Advantage
On the other hand most of the 1.273 million Asian men and women, particularly the three most numerous lawful immigrants – 572,198 or 45 percent of the Asian total from the top three destinations – China (221,127) plus India (197,522) plus the Philippines (153,549) very likely possess the qualifications we mention above.
Many of these are highly qualified, successful professionals. I know for a fact that among Indian immigrants in the US, according to 2010 US Census Bureau statistics, 78 percent had at least a Bachelor of Arts degree, of which 40 percent had an advanced or professional degree, including an MD or PhD, or MS or MA in a given field. For example in the medical field, of the total 1,030,000 US physicians, about 15 percent or 155,000 are either from India or are of Indian parentage in the US.
If you are a college graduate or holder of an advanced degree, you certainly stand a better chance than others to obtain one of these 10 highest-paying, and 10 fastest-growing jobs since 2016, and forecasted to continue growing until at least 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an agency of the United States Department of Labor. The good news is that some of the high-salaried positions are also in great demand
Highest-Paying Fast-Growth US Jobs. For those seeking high pay and have the necessary education, experience, and skills, these are the jobs you can aspire for, many of which are also projected to grow rapidly:
| Top 10 Highest-Paying High-Growth US Jobs | |||||
| Job Description | Wage-2017 | Employed-2016 | Projected-2026 | Change-No. | Change-% |
| 1. Physician Assistants | $104,860 | 106,200 | 145,900 | 39,700 | 37.4 |
| 2. Nurse Practitioners | $103,880 | 155,500 | 211,600 | 56,100 | 36.1 |
| 3. Top-Level Mathematicians | $103,010 | 3,100 | 4,000 | 900 | 29.0 |
| 4. Software Developers | $101,790 | 831,300 | 1,086,600 | 255,300 | 30.7 |
| 5. Health Specialties Teachers | $97,870 | 233,500 | 294,000 | 60,500 | 25.9 |
| 6. Information Security Analysts | $95,510 | 100,000 | 128,500 | 28,500 | 28.5 |
| 7. Physical Therapists | $86,850 | 239,800 | 306,900 | 67,100 | 28.0 |
| 8. Statisticians | $84,060 | 37,200 | 49,800 | 12,600 | 33.9 |
| 9. Occupational Therapists | $83,200 | 130,400 | 161,400 | 31,000 | 23.8 |
| 10. Operations Research Analysts | $81,390 | 114,000 | 145,300 | 31,300 | 27.4 |
| Average | $94,242 | 30.0 |
Fastest-Growing Most Numerous US Jobs. And for those who want to get jobs in professions and occupations that have grown rapidly in at least the last two years, are projected to grow at least until 2026, and most likely beyond, these are the fastest-growing jobs in the US:
| Top 10 Fastest-Growing US Jobs | |||||
| Job Description | Employed-2016 | Projected-2016 | Change-No. | Change-% | Wage-2017 |
| 1. Solar Photovoltaic Installers | 11,300 | 23,100 | 11,800 | 104.9 | $39,490 |
| 2. Wind Turbine Service Technicians | 5,800 | 11,300 | 5,500 | 94.8 | $53,880 |
| 3. Home Health Aides | 911,500 | 1,342,700 | 431,200 | 47.3 | $23,210 |
| 4. Personal Care Aides | 2,016,100 | 2,793,800 | 777,700 | 38.6 | $23,100 |
| 5. Physician Assistants | 106,200 | 145,900 | 39,700 | 37.4 | $104,860 |
| 6. Nurse Practitioners | 155,500 | 211,600 | 56,100 | 36.1 | $103,880 |
| 7. Statisticians | 37,200 | 49,800 | 12,600 | 33.9 | $84,060 |
| 8. Physical Therapist Assistants | 88,300 | 115,800 | 27,500 | 31.0 | $57,430 |
| 9. Software Developers | 831,300 | 1,086,600 | 255,300 | 30.7 | $101,790 |
| 10. Top-Level Mathematicians | 3,100 | 4,000 | 900 | 29.0 | $103,010 |
| Average | 48.4 | $69,471 |
Here is a video from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on the job of solar panel or photovoltaic (PV) installers
This article first appeared in the Sunday, October 21, 2018 issue of the Daily Tribune in the Philippines. Read all columns of Kumar Balani in that newspaper and write your comments in Comment boxes at the end of the articles: http://tribune.net.ph/index.php/author/kumar-balani/
Read Part Two: New Jobs of the Future, in the Sunday Oct 28 issue.
Kumar (Kem) Balani has an AB Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines and an MA in Politics from New York University. He is founder and publisher of Biz India Online News since 2002. Go to www.BizIndia.net to read book reviews, and news and features on business, investing, technology, and more.
